spin_kick_snap | Koreatown, Los Angeles, Wednesday

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Koreatown, Los Angeles, Wednesday

After discovering that Anders could heal the infected, the heroes of LA had been buoyed up by the knowledge that they could stop the spread of the zombie virus. Regenerator couldn't change anyone who had become of full-fledged zombie, but he was able to heal those they got to in time. It helped that the victims tended to have as much as a whole day between when they were bitten and when they turned. Stealth got word out to the populations that were most vulnerable, promising 'free and discreet care' to anyone who needed it, for whatever reason, and soon people were coming to them, either to be healed by 'Genny or two get heroes to help transport the infected back. 'Genny set up a walk-in clinic in a warehouse Stealth had procured and rather than patrolling, Banzai had started helping him there. She was fast, she was agile, she was good at calming people down--she made an excellent assistant and a new rapport sprang up between them.

They were saving lives. They were making a difference. It even made having to move back in with her family (under the guise of visiting for 'spring break') more palatable.

This rush of good feeling lasted for three days. Just three days. They knew they weren't stopping new zombies from turning, but between the people they were healing and the zombies the rest were killing, they really thought they were making a difference.

They were wrong. They were so wrong.

It was Sarah who woke Kathy up from her nap, eyes wide and a little scared. The fear alone had the bottom dropping out of Kathy's stomach; Sarah didn't do scared. She'd gone to school everyday through Seventeen territory and hadn't even flinched. "Sarah," she said, holding out a hand. "What is it?"

"Something's happening," Sarah said, going to sit on Kathy's bed and curling up against her big sister. "Something big. There was some kind of terrorist attack today--like a biological thing. People were screaming and rioting and attacking one another on Hollywood and Highland. Just out in the street in the middle of the day! Like--people ripped one another's throats out and stuff. It's all over the net--people were taking videos and running and screaming--they attacked little kids! And the way they looked--!" Sarah shuddered, hiding her face. "It was awful. Like a horror movie but for real. I watched people die. It looked like some were getting eaten."

"You shouldn't be watching this kind of stuff," Kathy said absently, stroking her sister's hair while her mind whirled. "It's just going to freak you out. Don't worry, the superheroes will fix it."

"I hope so," Sarah said, cuddling close. "Cause the videos I saw? It looked like the end of the world."

[NFB, but Kathy's going to be calling people. If you want her to call you (or want to call her), ping in and she did!]

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"To drag me back to the island as a musclebound leather daddy?" Kathy asked.

"That's super tempting, but no," Raven said. "Kathy, I don't care about graduation and all that. But you do. And -- well, I'm pretty sure if you're not coming back now, you're not going to come back in time to finish your classes. And if this is that important to you, then I'm going to come help."

Kathy started crying then. Quietly, fat tears dripping down her cheeks, but Raven could probably hear her sniffling and the catch in her voice when she spoke. "I have to warn you, I'm living with my parents. They're going to be tough, but I could make it happen. If you're sure."

She should try to be stronger, tell Raven to stay where it was safe, but she just wanted the comfort of a friend who was on her side so badly right now.

And from someone's open window or something, Aaliyah sang, "I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you in my life / I wanna say thank you / I love you and I miss you."

Man, Kathy's radio was spot on, today. It was a little eerie.

"Of course I'm sure," Raven said softly. "Kathy, you're one of my favorite people." Then, to lighten the mood a little: "And besides, I've seen what happens when you team up with the wrong people. I gotta be there to watch your back."

Right? She'd already yelled at Sarah to turn the radio down several times today, just because it was getting downright unnerving.

"It'll be nice to have someone I can trust by my side," she said, trying to keep her voice from quavering. "I mean, the other heroes are great, but we're not friends. But--Raven, you don't fight. Are you sure you're gonna be okay out here?"

"I don't go out looking for fights," Raven said. "Doesn't mean I can't do it. I've fought off ice wolves, creepy dolls, giant spiders, mutated drug addicts. . . ."

That last she'd actually killed, but she was pretty sure Kathy didn't want to hear about that.

"So long as the zombies aren't packing giant drill arms, I should be good."

"Thank god for that," Kathy said. "..Wait, are you going to be packing giant drill arms? This sounds like the kind of thing I should know."

Kathy sighed and brushed her hair away. "The zombies are dead so they can be put down. They don't feel pain." Kathy still felt bad about that. "But those who are just infected and haven't turned yet, they can still be saved. Regenerator can heal them."

"I can, but I'm not good at making it spin," Raven said. "And that's good to know. I'm hoping it's nice and easy to tell the difference?"

"The infected people are covered in bites and just look really, really sick," Kathy said. "They're not usually out and about. The zombies..." She shook her head. "They're coming at you, clacking their teeth together, and trying to eat your face."

"So pretty obvious, yeah," Raven said. She looked around the room. "Hey, you want me to bring your stuff with me when I come out there? You were only packed for two weeks."

"More clothing wouldn't go amiss," Kathy agreed reluctantly. "But that's about it, I have pretty much everything I need. Even if I don't make it back for grad, we'll go back for the summer."

Kathy was clinging to that belief. Clinging. It was the only thing keeping her from grabbing Sarah and portalling home right now.

Homeward bound,
I wish I was homeward bound,
Home where my thought's escaping,
Home where my music's playing,
Home where my love lies waiting silently for me.

No, seriously, where was that radio?

Raven wouldn't argue with portalling out or with having another Li as a roommate. She also wasn't arguing with Kathy's prediction for the summer, but she was also planning to pack more than just more clothes.

She might not remember much of it, but she had lived through the Depression and World War II. "Plan for the worst" was hardwired into her.

"Must be a trip for you, huh? You might have to take summer school for something other than getting ahead."

She had no idea how bad "the worst" actually was.

Sarah and Raven would both gang up on Kathy and make her relax. It would be horrible!

...Kathy couldn't imagine anything better.

"We'll see if Stanford still wants me after the shame of summer school," Kathy said with a wry grin. "But surely 'missed grad saving the world' has to hold some water with these people."

"If anything," Raven said, "they should want you more."

"It's not like they don't know something's up in LA right now," Kathy said with a sigh. "The news has been broadcasting the videos all day. It's not a big stretch to realize I was here with my family during this whole thing and couldn't get back to school, even if we leave out the whole superhero angle."

"I feel like using superpowers for good should count really high on an application. Like, don't-need-any-other-extracurriculars high."

"Agreed," Kathy said fervently. "Like, being a superhero doesn't leave a lot of time for extracurriculars!"

"And it incorporates all sorts of skills. If only it didn't have the whole secret identity component, you'd be set."

"On the plus side, it does mean that I'm awesome enough to have gotten into Stanford regardless," Kathy said, trying to preen. She wasn't really in the mood, but that kind of banter was almost expected at this point in the conversation. "Surely they can forgive a little bit of summer school!"

"I can sneak in disguised as the Dean and change their records, if they don't," Raven offered. Someone was watching Benny Hill or something really loudly, all of the sudden. She could hear it through the walls. "It's a foolproof plan."

"Raven, you're a genius!" Kathy said, laughing--a real laugh and it felt so good to do. "There go pretty much all of my academic worries! How did I not think of that?"

"You just have the wrong kind of genius. That's what you need me around for."

"I need you around for lots of reasons," Kathy admitted. "Your sneaky kind of genius is only one on the list."

The opening riff for Queen's You're My Best Friend sounded, almost too quickly to be noticed.

"Well, try to hold out until Saturday at least," Raven said. "And then you'll get as much of me as you need."

"And that gives me a few days to come up with a story to spin Mom and Dad why you should get to stay over. They think I'm on Spring Break right now. Maybe I'll say the dorms need to be fumigated? That's why I'm still here and you need a place to stay."

See? She could be sneaky, too! She just needed a lot of warm up and a bit of handholding.

Koreatown, Los Angeles, Wednesday

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